42 things to do before I'm 43

1. see a platypus in the wild - this is something I've wanted to do for a very long time. It's been on my "must do" list forever. This is the year. I might go to Tasmania.
2. run for 6kms without stopping and without collapsing - I can do this, I know I can.
3. lose 6 kgs - I've made a start. I've lost 2kgs since I wrote the list. Hooray for me.
4. re-read "The Art of Happiness" - to help me re-focus. Thanks to Ruth for making think about this book again.
5. learn about Catholic religious practices so I understand what Ruby's doing at school - in just a couple of weeks, she's already learned so much by being thrust in to Lent at the start of the year
6. help with reading in Ruby's class for a morning every 6 weeks or so - I can do this, just need to book some dates in.
7. write a card or a letter each week - they'll be written on a train or a plane for sure, so forgive the scrawl when I write to you
8. sew my own skirts. I'm feeling motivated to sew and of course I have tonnes of fabric.
9. take Ruby and Max to Canberra.
10. read 5 new authors.
11. order Moo cards. I do love them and I want some.
12. make a pavlova. I feel like I can't really live too many more years saying "oh no, I've never made a pav". This might be the year it gets done.
13. have a holiday in Sydney - the kids are old enough to really love Sydney now. Ruby often pretends that she lives in an apartment at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. :)
14. hire a kayak every now and then. I love kayaking but don't do it often enough. Actually, it happens pretty bloody rarely these days and I want that to change.
15. buy a Max ring. It's a long story. But basically Max wants me to have a "Max" ring to celebrate his birth because I have a "Ruby" ring. Max has started putting money in his piggy bank but it could be a while before I get one if I wait for the coins to accumulate.
16. do a photo session every month
17. learn how to use the different functions on my camera properly
18. use the treadmill at least 4x every week. I'm on track for this.
19. ride my bike!
20. organise play dates for Ruby and Max
21. print all of Ruby and Max's baby photos. I can't believe I haven't done this.
22. buy a new suit. I'll get another one in winter.
23. have a pedicure. I love them and it's been a long while since I had one.
24. reconnect with Rod and Donna. I miss them.
25. take a Pilates class.
26. learn how to use CUBA. It's a work thing.
27. take Ruby and Max bushwalking. So many beautiful places to go and I'm pretty sure they could both walk for a few k's now without shouting to be carried.
28. read the newspaper. More than just on the weekends that is.
29. subscribe to Crikey. I've got a lot of value out of the free trial.
30. blog at least once a week. I'll try harder I promise.
31. practice compassion everyday. I'm doing OK with this I think.
32. write to Souerng often. Souerng is our 5 year old sponsor child who lives in Cambodia. Ruby and Max tell people she's their sister.
33. stretch every day. I want more strength and less pain.
34. download fave songs/albums from the internet.
35. make time to escape every month or so. There are so many good places to run away to.
36. write my "I believe" manifesto.
37. back up my digital photos. I can't believe I haven't done this very well. I have saved some photos to CD, but I'm not very conscientious with this. And I have got an external hard drive sitting right here beside me.
38. surprise Mark.
39. replant the front garden. We need to do this soon or our neighbours will force us out of the street.
40. stick with natural medicines to improve my health.
41. spend a day with Mark every month or so. We've had 2 days together without kids so far this year. It's a very good thing.
42. buy some gorgeous new perfume. It's been a long time since I last bought myself perfume that I loved/must have.

I'll try my best to do these things before my birthday.
So what's on your list?

and then my heart melts just a little bit more

Tonight, this boy, the boy that pooed and weed his way through 4 pairs of undies and countless pullups yesterday, melted my heart just a little bit more.

Every night there are endless declarations of love. Tonight he called me his "scrummy honey". Many, many times. I love that. I love his very intense affection. Sometimes it can be a wee bit suffocating, but mostly it is very, very precious.

peace and love
xxxx

this photo was taken on Max's first day of being an "upstairs boy" at kindy. "Upstairs" is the big kids room at kindy, it's a big deal. He didn't want to go.

School photos and some news

Here she is - the smallest, and without doubt the cutest, child in class P/1M:

with the biggest backpack ever carried by a 4 year old child (surely it is, it's huge):

and here's the big schoolie with her crazy mumma and nearly hysterical baby brother Max:

* Ruby's religious education has begun in earnest. She understands that baby Jesus was born at Christmas but is convinced that *baby* Jesus will be dying in a few weeks time just after he delivers chocolate across the world. This story hasn't changed for a couple of years now, but I was hoping a Catholic education might be able to set her straight.


* Ruby has learned a new prayer: "in the end of the Father, the Son and the Holy syrup (!). Thankyou God for this new day. Thankyou God for the games we play. God is the King of the Jungle (roar!), God is the King of the Sea (bubble, bubble), God is the King of the Universe and God is the King of me". It's beautiful and it has actions. Very very precious. We asked her to say it about 12 times tonight and she was very gracious to say it over and over and over. I did record it but it's dark and fuzzy, so will need to ask her to perform again.


* I missed the first ever information session at school tonight. I completely forgot about it and was just leaving work when it was starting. Oops. That "Mother of the Year" nomination is looking more unlikely every day.


* Our new house cleaner started yesterday. We came home last evening to a sparklingly clean and lovely house. Heaven. We spent at least 20 minutes admiring Donna's work. I talked to Ruby and Max about how we have to keep the house neat now that it's clean because Donna will be coming every week. Ruby asked "are people coming to stay". I said "no" and she said "so why did Donna clean our house?". I explained that it's nice to have a clean house all the time and she said "yeah, like everyone else's house". *sigh* Anyway, I'm looking forward to Donna's weekly visit.


Yesterday was a calm day. Today has been chaotic. As "C" appears to be the letter of the week, I'm hoping tomorrow is cool and composed and not cantankerous and challenging.

peace and love
xxxx

Beautiful fairies in our home

1. Wear beautiful fairy dresses (not ever to be called princess dresses).
2. Carry a beautiful fairy wand (not ever to be called a swirly straw)
3. Fill a basket with fairy dust (not ever to be called confetti)
4. Cast beautiful spells on mummy - who so far has been an angel, a frog, a swimming pool (!), a butterfly, a piggy and Barbie.

A beautiful morning.

Walk on a rainbow trail...

"Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail." Virginia Woolf

Feeling calmer today. Thank heavens for rainbows, there have been a few about this morning after some really heavy rain.

Thanks too for your calls and kind thoughts and wishes this week, I never ceased to be amazed by the generosity of spirit of many people we know. I'm grateful for that.

I'll post some'first day of school' photos later today. :) It's been a BIG week.

peace and love

xxxx

rainbow pic is from Wikipedia